Kenyan Mobility Startup BuuPass Eyes Rapid Expansion Across Africa After QuickBus Acquisition

Summary:

• Kenyan startup BuuPass, a B2B2C mobility marketplace digitizing intercity transportation in Africa, plans to expand into eight new markets by 2025 after acquiring QuickBus. Founded in 2016, BuuPass has sold over 16 million tickets and generated $100 million in sales.

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NAIROBI, (Examiner) – Kenyan startup BuuPass, a B2B2C mobility marketplace that digitizes intercity bus and transportation operations across Africa, aims to expand into eight more markets by 2025, following its recent acquisition of QuickBus.

Established in 2016 by Sonia Kabra and Wyclife Omondi, BuuPass offers a platform for users to search, compare, and book travel tickets via web, app, or USSD. Additionally, its SaaS platform helps bus operators manage operations, inventory, and sales. To date, BuuPass has sold over 16 million travel tickets, generating over $100 million in total sales. The company has participated in the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa and received support from the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund.

“We identified that 95 percent of the African intercity transport market remains undigitized, causing inefficiencies and poor customer experiences. Our main competitors are traditional offline operators and local e-ticketing players,” Kabra told Disrupt Africa.

In February 2023, BuuPass announced a $1.3 million pre-seed funding round and recently acquired QuickBus, a Kenyan bus ticketing venture. Launched in 2019, QuickBus aggregates long-distance bus tickets, simplifying the comparison and booking process for users while aiding bus companies in business management.

This acquisition extends BuuPass’s presence to South Africa and Nigeria, in addition to Kenya and Uganda. “We have aggressive expansion plans to enter eight new markets by 2025, with Tanzania being our next target,” Kabra said.

BuuPass already has a significant footprint, operating in over 650 localities in Kenya and more than 80 in Uganda, with rapid expansion plans. “Our strategy includes B2B sales for bus digitization, B2C marketing, and partnerships with telcos and banks,” Kabra noted. The company earns revenue through commissions on bus, train, and flight tickets.

Kabra acknowledged the challenges BuuPass faces, such as slow digitization by bus operators, building the two-sided marketplace, the impact of COVID-19 on travel, and expansion into new markets. “We are overcoming these challenges through a focused expansion playbook, strengthening our team, and refining our go-to-market strategies,” she said.

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